How to tell a real online ADHD clinic from a prescription storefront
Online ADHD care ranges from thorough psychiatric evaluation to a quiz and a checkout button. Seven questions will tell you which one you're looking at. We've answered each one for our own practice so you can hold us to the same standard.
Seven questions — and our answers
Can you name the clinician — and verify the license?
If the site never names who will actually see you, you cannot check their license, credentials, or disciplinary history before handing over your health information.
Our answer
Every visit is with Tyler Davis, PMHNP-BC, a board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner who is also ADHD-CCSP certified. Her background, licensure states, and full bio are published on the site.
Meet Tyler Davis, PMHNP-BCAre validated screening tools used — or a five-question quiz?
A short quiz that ends in a booking button is marketing. Adult ADHD screening has established instruments, and a clinic should tell you which ones it uses.
Our answer
Screening uses the ASRS-v1.1 (developed with the WHO) alongside PHQ-9 and GAD-7, plus emotional-regulation and sleep items. Your results are reviewed before your visit, not instead of it.
How the screening worksIs anything screened besides ADHD?
Anxiety, depression, trauma, sleep problems, and thyroid issues all mimic ADHD. A clinic that only looks for ADHD will only ever find ADHD.
Our answer
The evaluation includes explicit differential screening — mood, anxiety, bipolar-spectrum, emotional dysregulation, and sleep — before any ADHD conclusion is reached.
ADHD vs anxiety vs depressionAre prescribing rules stated honestly, state by state?
Telehealth prescribing of controlled medication is governed by federal and state rules. Any clinic implying a guaranteed prescription is telling you what you want to hear.
Our answer
No prescription is ever guaranteed. Non-stimulant options can be prescribed in every state served. Controlled stimulant medications are prescribed only in California, Arizona, Oregon, and Washington, in line with current DEA telehealth rules.
DEA telehealth rulesIs the full price published before you enter a card?
Hidden subscription pricing, per-refill surcharges, and plans that only continue while you stay on medication are the most common complaints about online ADHD care.
Our answer
Flat, published self-pay pricing: $195 initial evaluation, $149 per follow-up, optional $99/month membership, cancel anytime. A superbill is provided for out-of-network reimbursement and HSA/FSA cards are accepted.
See full pricingCan you reach an actual person?
Care that only exists inside an app becomes a problem the first time a pharmacy rejects a refill or you need a form completed.
Our answer
A published phone number (888-431-2630), staffed hours Monday–Friday 9am–4pm PST, and a secure message form that reaches the practice directly.
Contact the practiceIs your health information actually protected?
A telehealth service handling your psychiatric records should be able to state its HIPAA posture plainly, not bury it in a terms page.
Our answer
Encrypted visits, messages, and records, with a published HIPAA notice and telehealth consent, and signed agreements with any vendor that could touch protected health information.
Read the HIPAA noticeStop if you see these
Wondering what a thorough evaluation should cost? See the full cost breakdown.
Common questions about online ADHD clinics
Is online ADHD treatment legitimate?
It can be, and telepsychiatry research consistently finds diagnostic agreement with in-person care for adult ADHD. Legitimacy depends on the clinic, not the format: a named licensed clinician, validated screening instruments, differential rule-outs, honest prescribing limits, and published pricing are what separate real care from a prescription storefront.
How do I know if an online ADHD clinic is a pill mill?
Look for the pattern rather than any single sign: no named provider, a very short quiz, no screening for look-alike conditions, no childhood-history questions, a promise of medication, and pricing that only appears at checkout. Any two or three of those together should stop you.
Will an online clinic prescribe controlled ADHD medication?
Sometimes, and only when it is clinically appropriate and legally permitted where you live. Federal DEA telehealth rules and individual state rules both apply, so the honest answer from any clinic is conditional. Treat an unconditional yes as a warning sign.
Does online ADHD care take insurance?
Many online psychiatric practices, including this one, are self-pay and out-of-network. That is not itself a red flag — what matters is whether prices are published upfront and whether you receive an itemized superbill you can submit to your insurer for possible out-of-network reimbursement.
What should I ask on a first appointment?
Who is treating me and what is their license; which screening tools did you use; what else did you rule out; what happens if medication isn't appropriate for me; what does follow-up cost; and how do refills work if I move or travel.
Hold us to the checklist
Start with the free self-test, then book an evaluation with a named, board-certified provider who will tell you honestly what she can and cannot prescribe where you live.
This page is educational and does not constitute medical advice. In a life-threatening emergency, call or text 988 or go to your nearest ER.